In an odd moment in the trial of Robel Phillipos, a friend of the man accused of the Boston Marathon bombings, Michael Dukakis, the former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee, testified Thursday for the defense.

The delays in carrying out various aspects of the Affordable Care Act are eerily similar to those of a Massachusetts health care law passed in 1988 at the urging of Gov. Michael Dukakis, an economist writes.